A Cultural Revolution in 1967 and 1968 in Vancouver.

On Davie street in Vancouver in the late sixties there was a very edgy club that supported local artists, and brought in great bands. The Retinal Circus (Dante’s Inferno) was was up the street from where I lived in Vancouver’s West End.

I saw both The Doors and the Velvet Underground at the Circus and the experience has become imbedded in my consciousness.

1967 and 1968 were pivotal years in the gatherings of younger populations being able to effect political discourse. The Doors and The Velvet Underground were able to reach into the dissatisfaction many of us were feeling and fueled a counter culture revolution.

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THE DOORS IN VANCOUVER

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND IN VANCOUVER

The Circus was within walking distance from my place in the West End and I was a regular on weekends. The promoter Roger Schiffer was very active in helping the youth be heard in Vancouver civic politics who had what could best be called, a repressive attitude toward what they called hippies and peaceniks.

I was still searching for my voice at the time having moved from Yorkville in Toronto where I had illusions of becoming a poet to the West End of Vancouver.

I thought Vancouver was more in tune, with the Love-Not-Hate attitude towards the war in Vietnam and the vibe coming out of San Francisco inspired by the Beat Generation.

I could not understand why a country I admired and stood up for freedom like the United States could be so violently oppressive.

In Vancouver, Mayor Tom Cambel’s antagonism toward Hippies and despise of the emerging drug culture led him into direct conflict, resulting in the 1972 Gastown Riots instigated by riot police, acting on his orders, broke up a peaceful “smoke-in”. He also tried unsuccessfully to ban The Georgia Strait, then a young counter-culture newspaper. The picture below is the alt gov meeting on the sidewalk outside of Vancouver City Hall

As prevously mentioned, The Doors in 1967 and the Velvet Underground in 1968 fueled that West Coast counter Culture and was fed by the mantra love not war. The music was great, The vibe fueled a revolution.

The Velvet Underground at the Circus allowed me two nights to absorb what was probably one of the most revolutionary bands in history. They were spawned in the Art studios of Andy Warhol and Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground were a force.

That was a couple of nights of madness and you could get stoned just from being in the room,

Below is the postcard you got when you entered which really jumped out at you under a black light

SOME ADDITIONAL SHOW POSTERS FROM GROUPS I SAW AT THE RETINAL CIRCUS

When I posted my text in my Ai here was the response generated with the help of ChatGPT from OpenAI.

“In the late sixties, there was an edgy club on Davie Street in Vancouver that supported local artists and featured great bands. It was initially known as Dante’s Inferno and later changed its name to the Retinal Circus. As a resident of the West End within walking distance from the club, you were a regular attendee on weekends. The promoter of the club was actively involved in advocating for the youth in Vancouver’s civic politics.

During that time, Mayor Tom Campbell held what could be described as a repressive attitude toward what he called hippies and peaceniks. His animosity toward the emerging drug culture and his dislike of the counterculture movement led to direct conflicts. One significant incident occurred in 1972, known as the Gastown Riots.

It was alleged that riot police, acting on Mayor Campbell’s orders, intervened and broke up a peaceful “smoke-in” demonstration. This event marked a clash between the authorities and the counterculture movement. Mayor Campbell’s attempts to suppress the counterculture extended beyond physical interventions. He also made an unsuccessful effort to ban The Georgia Strait, a young counter-culture newspaper.

In response, The Georgia Strait took legal action, suing the city, the mayor, and the chief license inspector. Then-Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau, who later became the Prime Minister of Canada, sent a representative to argue for freedom of the press on behalf of The Georgia Strait. These events reflect the social and cultural tensions of the late sixties and early seventies, characterized by clashes between the establishment and counterculture movements seeking social change, artistic expression, and freedom of the press.”